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Ironstar Hold
A fortified small village and holding of the House of Alba, the Silverthorn Hold rests on the western edge of the Shadow Bloom Valley, March of Evanyl , Barony of Briarwood. It sets next to Silverthorn Keep . The village sets at the foot of the side of the valley near the pass where the Shadowrun River has cut its path. With the river on the southern side of the village, the Keep to the west, the settlement is exposed on two sides. Gates, with accompanying barbicans, are set at the eastern and northern side - one to lead to the X Road and another to lead into the valley itself. Layout The village is build in the shape of a large rectangle with its short side connected to the walls of the keep. Though the village is about twice as wide as the keep, the rectangle is located centrally to the keep's gate. The main street in the village extends from the keep's barbican, through the body of the rectangle and out the eastern end with an intersection mid-way along its length to branch off for the northern gate and south to the docks. The river rests about five or six feet beyond the southern walls with only a small bank between them. Each of the entrances are protected by a gate house and the walls are dotted with watch towers at regular intervals. The reconstruction of the village wall is a massive construction project but one that Lord Silverthorn is determined to complete. Reconstruction When the humans returned to Shadow Bloom Valley, they found that the old village at the foot of the keep had been burned to the ground; leaving only the stones of their foundations remaining. The first concern of Lord Silverthorn was to secure the keep itself. With several breaches through the walls and one partially through, the village's repairs would have to wait until such time as those breaches were either repaired or at last sealed. One new improvement initiated by the Lord's builders was to connect the wall of the village with that of the keep - so that there was no way for an attacking force to approach the keep without having had made its way through the entire village first. The village walls would then be the first line of the keep's defences. This also meant that the village would be made ever so much more secure. The old wooden palasade would be replaced with thick stone walls - thankfully provided by the quarry of good stone at the opposite end of the valley by the waterfalls. Workers Once the perimeter wall had been plugged for the keep and the palasade around the village had been repaired enough to secure it from invasion, the workers cobbled together a few round houses to shelter them during the long nights ahead. Four round houses, each with their doors set to face the center of the village where they were constructed, were cobbled together from the remains of old stone foundations as well as materials from the surrounding forest. Each round house could hold a dozen or so men and provided enough protection from the elements that they could rest comfortably at night. The basic foundation was made from the stones of the old buildings and the timber walls were covered with a mixture of clay and straw to hold out the cold. Thatching the roof would take too long and require too much material so split-wood shingles were used. The central fire pit was enough to provide both heat and light for the men as well as suffecient means to cook their meals. Once the keep walls were built and individual building plots were assigned, the round houses were destroyed. Craftsmen Craftsmen such as masons and carpenters had shops created next as their work would be at the heart of the repairs to the keep and the village.Two mason's shacks, a forge and a carpenter's building were created first set into the corners between the round houses to create a wheel with eight spokes. These shacks were built to house the work, materials and craftsmen outside of the round houses so that they could work in peace and with what they needed on hand. These houses were quite useful should the weather turn bad - allowing them to work in cold or the rain. Each of the craftsmen's buildings was given a fireplace and a well-packed floor of sand and gravel. Many of the unskilled apprentices were allowed to sleep in the shacks as there was very little room in the worker's lodgings. Once the walls were constructed these buildings were destroyed and private building lots assigned for those who wished to build their own homes. Guards Over the first winter, two large halls were created for the guard who were set to watch the entrances to the village. These halls were basically little more than barracks or the soldiers - a place to get warm, stay dry, eat and sleep. Once the walls of the keep and village well well on their way to being either fully repaired or at least blocked to prevent a rush invasion, did Lord Silverthorn sent for the remainder of his house and troops. These extra guards had to be housed somewhere and thus the guard houses were created. The guard houses were wide enough to accomodate a row of bunks down each side with a central aisle where tables were placed. A hearth in the center kept the place relatively warm so long as the door flaps were firmly secured. Once the village's walls were securely built and private lots were assigned, this design became the most common for large families. The only widely held change was adding a small addition to the front to serve as a foyer to block out the chill. Families Only once the keep walls were at their full height and the village walls and watch towers had been construction was permission granted for the workers to build their own homes. In some cases, often in those plots around the perifery of the village, the houses were built smaller to accomodate only one or two people or in those cases where the person wanted more ground space for a small garden. Category:Small Town Category:Settlement/Briarwood Category:Holding/Ironstar Category:Town/North Marches Category:March/Evanyl Category:Fortification/Stronghold